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Minutes of the June, 2003, ACFI Board Meeting

Fri, 2007-03-16 17:44 | Myron Lieberman

PROCEEDINGS OF THE JUNE 2003 ACFI MEETING
The AZ Chess Federation, Inc., held its annual meeting on Sunday, June 8, 2003. Special thanks go to Steven and Trina Kamp for their outstanding hospitality.
Prior to the start of the meeting, the ACFI calendar and clearinghouse were discussed. President Will Wharton called the meeting to order at 10:37am. The following Board members attended: President Will Wharton, Vice President Michael Reading, Secretary Myron Lieberman, Treasurer Jennifer Shacter, Shirley Cox, Steven Kamp, Lee Lafrese, Spencer Lower, Gary Moore, and Gavin Wharton.
Guests in attendance included the following: Claudia Inman, Trina Kamp, Carol Moore Tony and Angie Sherwood, Dave and Zhu Small, Phil Terrill, and Rachel Lieberman, acting as an Assistant to the Secretary.
State Grade format
The first item discussed was the State Grade format. Discussion involved the concept of a five round format with shorter time controls in every section. Will Wharton proposed a motion stating that the State Grade shall have five rounds in every section with a G/40 time control. Lee Lafrese offered an amendment that gave organizers the option of four rounds and G/60 time controls for grades 7 – 12 only. This amendment was accepted. The final motion was as follows:
ACFI 0603-01 (Wharton/ Lafrese): The State Grade shall consist of five rounds in every section with G/40 time controls, or, at the discretion of the organizer, have five rounds at G/40 (up to grade 6) and four rounds at G/60 for grades 7 – 12 only. PASSED 10 –0
half-point byes in title events
The next item discussed was the procedure under which half-point byes should be given. It was noted that the USCF rules suggest that no half-point byes be given during the last half of a tournament. Gary Moore proposed the following:
ACFI 0603-02 (Moore): For the State Grade, one half-point bye may be given prior to the start of the tournament for any round for rounds 1 – 5. Any byes requested after the start of the tournament for any round are zero-point byes. PASSED 10 –0
Discussion continued on the format of the State Grade. The following motions were proposed:
ACFI 0603-03 (G. Wharton): The State Grade shall have pre-advertised, pre-scheduled round times.
WITHDRAWN during discussion in favor of motions 04 and 05.
ACFI 0603-04 (Lafrese): The decision regarding 4 round vs. 5 round formats for the State Grade for grades 7 – 12 must be stated in all pre-tournament publicity.
PASSED 7 – 2 – 1 (Lower, Reading opposed; Shacter abstained)
ACFI 0603-05 (W. Wharton): Scheduled round times for the State Grade shall be listed on all pre- tournament publicity. PASSED 10 - 0
Dave Small visit
Dave and Zhu Small of Chess Arizona USA came to visit the meeting at 11:16 AM. They brought several issues before the Board. Dave Small stated that last year he held five tournaments and lost a considerable amount of money. He needs to break even to continue to hold tournaments. He could not find a viable venue for earlier tournaments this year, but he does have a venue for the Rocky Mountain Open. The tournament will be held on the weekend of August 30 – September 1 at the Four Points Sheraton in Metro Center. He needed to significantly reduce the total guaranteed prize fund and the overall prize structure in order to try to make the numbers work, and provided preliminary flyers for the event. While he did not ask for it, a suggestion was made that in order to encourage adult OTB play, ACFI provide $1000 for the prize fund. It was suggested in discussion that if ACFI were to consider any kind of financial support it should go to expense reduction rather than into the prize fund. No motion was made and neither idea was acted on at this time.
Dave Small stressed that he thinks Phoenix could be a tremendous chess center. He challenged the ACFI Board to create a business model with the potential for great growth. He urged that national tournaments be encouraged to come to Phoenix, and stated that the 2005 US Open, to be held at the Arizona Biltmore, is a perfect example of this concept. Some discussion followed on the need to recruit volunteers. It was noted that communication between people, communities, and media is very important, as is corporate sponsorship. There was some discussion on the lack of a state news magazine.
Thanks are in order for Robert Tanner for bringing the US Open to Arizona for the first time since 1978.
Dave Small urged the Board to develop a working business plan and stick to it. He urged that the Board work to create synergy.
From 12:00 – 12:30 there was a break for lunch. Steve and Trina Kamp provided salad, pizza, and other delicious foods. They were great hosts. Thanks, Steve and Trina.
When the meeting resumed, much discussion and several motions followed:
ACFI 0603-06 (Reading): Phil Terrill, Dave Small, Michael Reading, and Steven Kamp shall constitute a committee to formulate a business plan and report back to the ACFI Board.
WITHDRAWN AND DIVIDED
It was pointed out in discussion that all three geographic regions should be represented on the committee.
ACFI 0603-07 (Lieberman): A committee shall be established to recommend a course of action to encourage and implement revitalization of Open Chess in Arizona. PASSED 10 - 0
ACFI 0603-08 (Reading): Phil Terrill, Lee Lafrese, Ed Yetman, Steven Kamp, Spencer Lower, Dave Small, and Michael Reading shall constitute the committee (to encourage and implement revitalization of Open Chess in Arizona). PASSED 7 – 1 – 2 (Kamp opposed; Lafrese, W. Wharton abstained)
Michael Reading was named pro-tem chair of the committee, which will pick its own chair.
Tiebreaks for State title events
Tiebreaks for the State Grade were discussed. It was noted that for events of four rounds or less, Median is less appropriate than Modified Median. There was some discussion of modifying k – 5 and k – 6 sections. Currently K – 6 players cannot play for k – 5 prizes in Arizona. The following motions were proposed:
ACFI 0603-09 (Reading): For the year 2004 a k – 5 section shall be added (to the State Grade) with team and individual sections. The k – 6 section shall also be changed appropriately. PASSED 6 – 1 – 3
(Lafrese opposed; Cox, Kamp, Lower abstained)
ACFI 0603-10 (W. Wharton): Arizona shall have a State High School Chess Championship with team and individual prizes. PASSED 10 - 0
During discussion following Motion 10 it was noted that the new tournament could become the Denker Qualifier in Arizona.
Denker issues
It was noted by the Board that Steven Kamp is the organizer of the 2004 Denker Qualifier and that the event is to be held between the date of the 2004 Pre High and the USCF deadline for submitting Denker information. Steven Kamp discussed potential dates but will get back to the Board with his final dates.
Lee Lafrese discussed a motion regarding a qualifying procedure for the Denker Tournament of High School Champions. The motion passed by email poll on January 15 by a vote of 7-0-1 (ML abstained). The format is a five game round robin played at a time control no faster than game in two hours. The wording of the motion was:
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I would like to make the following motion for the ACFI board about a method for selecting the 2004 representative to the Denker Tournament of High School Championships:
1) The Denker Qualifier Tournament shall be a 5 game round robin event played at a time control no faster than game in 2 hours.
2) The dates of the qualifier will be a single weekend (Friday evening through Sunday afternoon). The dates for the event will be selected by the ACFI board and are recommended to be a weekend between April 15th and June 15th.
3) Invitations to the qualifier will be selected as follows:
a) Any Arizona resident that competed in the Denker Tournament the previous year and is still eligible as a high school student will be automatically seeded in the qualifier.
b) The AIA Individual Chess Champion will also be seeded automatically.into the qualifier.
c) The top two finishers in both the high school section of the Arizona State Scholastic (Pre-High) Championship and the Arizona State Grade Championship will also be automatically seeded. Tiebreaks will be used to determine the order of finish.
d) If there are open slots due to the same person becoming eligible for more than one slot in the qualifier, then the next highest finishers in the high school sections will selected. The player with the higher USCF rating will be selected if there is only one slot to fill. For example, if there is one additional slot to fill and the third place finisher from the High School section of the Pre-High has a higher USCF rating than the 3rd place finisher of the High School section of the AZ Grade, then the 3rd place finisher from the High School section of the Pre-High will qualify.
e) All of those earning slots will receive invitations to the qualifying tournament at least 3 weeks in advance. Any declinations must be returned at least 2 weeks in advance. The organizer of the qualifier should attempt to fill these slots with lower finishers from the two seeding events whenever possible.
f) Any eligible player rated over 2000 on the annual USCF list and not qualifying in the normal manner may petition to be an alternate to fill any slots that become open due to declinations. The ACFI may vote to accept petitions when all slots can't be filled in the normal manner 4) The ACFI will provide funding for the qualifier. Funding will consist of operating expenses up to $200 and a winners stipend of up to $500. The exact amount to be provided will be voted on by the ACFI board each year.
Lee LaFrese
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Qualifiers and state format
There was a great deal of discussion regarding Qualifiers, qualifying for specific sections, and whether events should be open or closed. The following motions were proposed:
ACFI 0603-11 (W. Wharton): There shall be a High School section at the AZ State Scholastic Championship. PASSED 10 - 0
It was noted that the official name of the state pre-high was changed to the state Scholastic due to the official presence of the High School section.
ACFI 0603-12 (Lieberman): The High School section of the k – 12 shall be open.
PASSED 7 – 1 – 2 (Kamp opposed; Cox, Shacter abstained)
ACFI 0603-13 (W. Wharton): An individual qualifies for a k – 5 section if that person is in those grades and has qualified in those sections of a k – 5 or k – 6 qualifier. PASSED 8 – 0 – 2
(Kamp, Lower abstained)
ACFI 0603-14 (Lafrese): (ACFI will) Adopt current qualification rules for kindergarten for the k – 1 section. PASSED 8 – 0 – 2 (Lower, W. Wharton abstained)
It was noted that teams could be split between sections. A straw poll was taken regarding the minimum number of individuals that comprise a team at the High School level in the State Scholastic. The overwhelming favorite number was three.
ACFI 0603-15 (Lafrese): For High School teams in the State Scholastic, a team shall be comprised of a minimum three players. PASSED 7 – 2 – 1 (Lower, G. Wharton opposed; W. Wharton abstained)
ACFI 0603-16 (W. Wharton): The k – 8 section shall be changed to four member teams for State.
PASSED 9 – 1 (Reading opposed)
A straw poll was taken to determine the sense of the Board on Motion 17:
ACFI 0603-17 (W. Wharton): The k – 5 and k – 6 sections shall be four player teams. PASSED 6 – 4
(Lafrese, Lower, Reading, Shacter opposed)
ACFI 0603-18 (Wharton/ Lafrese): Team sizes for the k – 1 and k – 3 sections shall coincide with team sizes in the k – 5 and k – 6 sections. PASSED 6 – 3 – 1
(Lafrese, Reading, Shacter opposed; Lower abstained)
The subject of half point byes was revisited for state scholastics. A straw poll was taken to determine the number of half point byes that should be allowed. Up to three were considered. In general the Board felt that participants in state championship events should expect to play in those events.
ACFI 0603-19 (Lafrese): For state scholastics, up to three half-point byes shall be allowed if requested in advance of the tournament. After the start of the tournament byes requested shall be zero points.
FAILED 4 – 4- 2 (Kamp, Lafrese, Lieberman, Reading in favor; Cox, Lower, Moore Shacter opposed;
G. Wharton, W. Wharton abstained)
ACFI 0603-20 (W. Wharton): For state scholastics up to two half-point byes shall be allowed if requested in advance of the tournament. After the start of the tournament byes requested shall be zero points.
PASSED 6 – 3 – 1 (Lafrese, Lower, Reading opposed; Kamp abstained)
Publicity for official events was discussed.
ACFI 0603-21 (Reading): All official publicity concerning qualifiers for state scholastic championships shall include date, place, and contact information. PASSED 10 - 0
Jennifer Shacter expressed that the purpose of a state qualifier is to provide qualification for state championship events. The Board expressed agreement, and it was noted that this point should be included in the minutes. It was also noted that any official publicity for any ACFI qualifier must be for that event only, and cannot include information regarding other events.
ACFI 0603-22 (Lieberman): No official publicity for ACFI scholastics can include qualification information for any other event.
PASSED 7 – 2 – 1 (Kamp, W. Wharton opposed; G. Wharton abstained)
Bidding vs. proposals and increased ACFI involvement for larger tournaments (AZ State Scholastics)
The Board noted that the Chess Emporium has not yet paid its debt to the ACFI Treasurer for the 2003 AZ Pre-High as per its bid. It was suggested that a note be sent to the organizer regarding the amount due. Will Wharton stated that he would call Scott Freneaux.
Bidding procedures were discussed. There was also discussion on whether the ACFI should take a more active role in running State or leave it to a private individual. It was noted that the organizer should be encouraged to seek staff outside of the immediate region. A straw poll was taken on whether bidding should be open or closed. No one was in favor of closed bidding procedures. At this time, the Board felt that a general review of bidding procedures was in order:
ACFI 0603-23 (Lieberman): ACFI shall establish a committee to review procedures for awarding state tournaments and make recommendations to the ACFI Board. PASSED 10 - 0
ACFI 0603-24 (W. Wharton): Myron Lieberman, Robby Adamson, Will Wharton, Gavin Wharton, and Michael Reading shall serve on the committee to review awarding of tournaments. PASSED 10 - 0
The next item discussed was appropriate compensation for the Denker representative and the organizer of the Denker qualifier. It was noted that SACA would pay compensation in 2003.
ACFI 0603-25 (W. Wharton): For 2004 the Denker representative shall be given up to $500 to cover expenses. In addition, up to $250 shall go to the tournament organizer to cover expenses. PASSED 10 - 0
A straw poll was taken to determine the number of half- point byes that can be requested at a qualifier in advance. The results of the poll led to the next motion:
ACFI 0603-26 (W. Wharton): Up to two half-point byes shall be allowed in qualifiers if asked for in advance. PASSED 9 – 1 (Lower opposed)
Procedure for handling email votes
Myron Lieberman read aloud his proposed recommendations for handling email votes. Discussion followed. It was noted, and the Board concurred, that if an originator of a motion does not vote on that motion it should be treated as a non-vote. Myron amended his recommendations to include this point.
ACFI 0603-27 (W. Wharton): Move to accept Myron’s motion as amended. Note: The proposed recommendation was distributed by email on April 7. The amended wording was as follows:
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1. Non-voters. Some people don't vote on an issue because they have no interest in it. Some don't vote because they don't give email a high priority. Lee LaFrese has indicated that his reasons for not voting on some issues is that whenever a poll is taken he gets the replies as well and doesn't feel like going through a dozen emails that all say the same thing. He often deletes them. While the original will have a subject line and the replies have re: in the subject line, it takes too much scrutiny to look for whether or not the re: is there. My thoughts are:
A. All polls must originate from the Secretary and include - "please vote" or something similar in the subject. That way, if someone wants to skip or delete the replies they would be safe if they only opened anything with a "Please Vote" in the subject if it came from the Secretary.
B. Possibly a return receipt request should be sent out with the Secretary's request for votes. That way the return receipts can be used for a quorum count even if someone does not want to take the time to vote. While the recipient can decline to send a return receipt there is no reason to, since it is automatic and requires no time or effort on their part. This would allow four categories for the final results. They are (1) For (2) Against (3) Abstain (4) Not voting and (5) not read.
Abstain is a vote which is not for or against the motion. Not voting means the message has been read and a return receipt has been received by the Secretary, but the recipient has not replied. Not read means that no return receipt was received by the Secretary. It is true that someone can read a message and choose to decline to send an automatic return receipt. Such situations would result in a "Not Read" status unless the recipient votes. A quorum would be determined by the sum of all votes (for, against, abstain) and non-votes (receipt received).
2. Treatment of votes where the maker of the motion does not reply to the poll. It is legal and proper in most groups (and in Robert's Rules) for a motion to be made where the maker disagrees with the motion but believes the topic needs discussion. The fact that a person makes or seconds a motion or argues in favor or against a motion does not count as a vote.
3. Treatment of usually automatic abstentions. I suggest a house rule that any abstention, even for conflict of interest (subject of motion) reasons, must be voted to count as an abstention. If no vote is received it will be treated as not voting or not read, depending on which is appropriate.
4. Treatment of "votes" where the actual reply is a statement instead of a yes or no (or for or against) vote. In order for a vote to be counted it should not be a statement of any kind, but rather a clear vote. "Yes",
"Aye", "For" or "In Favor"are positive votes. "No", "Nay", "Against", or "Opposed" are negative votes. Statements in support of or opposed to the motion are often subject to interpretation and should not be counted unless accompanied by a vote.
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PASSED 10 - 0
ACFI Calendar
At this time, issues regarding the ACFI calendar were discussed. It was noted that organizers should be informed of conflicts and potential conflicts. It was suggested that a Calendar Czar be appointed. Another suggestion was to put links to other websites on the ACFI website. Myron Lieberman stated that he is willing to post dates as he has done in the past. This would include the calendar function only to provide information on a statewide basis. It was suggested that information for posting could be provided by Alan Rockowitz in html format. Lee Lafrese will talk to Alan about this and report back to the Board.
Election Procedures
The Board discussed the fact that the current system of holding a statewide election by mail is much more expensive than holding a meeting for the purpose of conducting an election, as has been done in the past. At any rate it was noted that such a meeting at this point would require a bylaws change.
Pre publicity for elections was also discussed. It was noted that such publicity could include information on the website and ads in “Chess Life”. A straw poll was taken to determine whether the current system should be kept. No one voted to retain the current system.
ACFI 0603-28 (Lieberman): The bylaws shall be amended to come up with an alternative to the 100% vote by mail requirement. THE SECRETARY WILL POLL THE BOARD BY EMAIL
Coach’s Clinic
Michael Reading added the topic of a coach’s clinic to the agenda. It was noted that SACA holds a coach’s clinic. Rules, schedules, etc. are discussed at a special coach’s meeting. Lee Lafrese suggested that similar meetings be held in Phoenix and Tucson over a two-week period. The following was proposed:
ACFI 0603-29 (W. Wharton): Michael Reading is named to head a committee to look into developing a coach’s clinic (format, etc.). WITHDRAWN
The motion was withdrawn because Michael Reading agreed look into this without a vote.
Will Wharton and Lee Lafrese will examine the issue of trophies and send email to the Board. It was noted that one large trophy order is made per year.
State Publication and Treasurer’s Report
At this time Gavin Wharton moved to adjourn the meeting, however, it was noted that the Board had not yet considered two issues. Lee Lafrese made the following motion:
ACFI 0603-30 (Lafrese): Move to table discussion on a state publication. PASSED 10 -0
Jennifer Shacter reviewed the Treasurer’s Report. Copies were distributed. A copy of the Treasurer’s report is included as Appendix A.
The last two motions were as follows:
ACFI 0603-31 (Board): The Board expresses its appreciation to Steve and Trina Kamp for hosting the June 2003 ACFI meeting. PASSED BY ACCLAMATION
ACFI 0603-32 (G. Wharton): Move to adjourn. PASSED 10 - 0
The meeting was adjourned at 3:40PM.
APPENDIX A – Treasurer’s Report
Arizona Chess Federation, Incorporated
c/o Jennifer Shacter, Treasurer
8750 East Bear Place
Tucson, AZ 85749-9158
Financial Statement: January 1, 2003 – June 4, 2003
Explanation Income Expense­­
Balance Forward (January 1, 2003) $ 2902.88
Chess Arizona USA $ 135.00
1/7/03 90 players @ $1.50/player
re: AZ Open 2002; held October 5, 2002
Chess Arizona USA $ 73.50
1/7/03 49 players @ $1.50/player
re: AZ Class Championships; held December 7, 2002
Great Dane Multi-e-Media $ 200.00
3/5/03 ck. #1115
re: 1 Year of hosting Arizonachess.com including
domain registration
Arizona Corporation Commission $ 10.00
3/24/03 ck. #1116
re: Annual Filing Fee
United States Chess Federation $ 40.00
4/14/03 ck. #1117
re: Affiliate Fee
Southern AZ Chess Association $ 552.00
4/29/03 368 players @ $1.50/player
re: AZ School Grade Championships, held January 4, 2003
United States Chess Federation $ 40.00
5/20/03 ck. #1118
re: Affiliate Fee (replacement check, original lost in the mail)
VOID Check #1117 $ 40.00
Check returned in sealed envelope 6 weeks after originally posted
______________________________________________________________________________________
Income/Expense Totals $ 3703.00 $ 290.00
Current Checking Account Balance = $ 3413.00
Respectfully submitted by Jennifer K. Shacter, ACFI Treasurer